08/12/2009

Don't hang up those sneakers just yet!

Despite TIME magazine's August 9th cover article, Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin, you actually DO need to exercise for overall health, as well as to maintain a healthy weight. Will exercise ALONE solve your weight problems? Of course not. I have had many a client ask me how to obtain a six-pack abdominal section. Is it 500 crunches a day? 1000? 80% of your six-pack abs are made in the KITCHEN. You can do 10,000 crunches per day and it will not reduce that flab hanging over your belt unless you also change your eating habits. What you eat is just as important as exercise. But on the other hand, will diet alone give you a six-pack or allow you to maintain it? Absolutely NOT!

The TIME magazine article is misleading. Timothy Church, M.D., Ph.D., (2009) states in the August 7th American College of Sports Medicine news release that his remarks in the article were distorted and the writer neglected to emphasize Church's following points:

"Weight maintenance is different from weight loss, and should have been discussed. Virtually all people who lose weight and keep it off are exercising to maintain weight."

"Comments about children and physical activity were misleading. Studies have shown that kids are not necessarily more active after school (and therefore need good in-school physical education program), and that the focus with children should be on physical activity and prevention of excess weight gain (Adults, however, more often must deal with losing excess weight)."

"Exercise and diet go together. Weight management is most successful when careful attention is given to both physical activity and proper nutrition."

Bottom line - you need BOTH diet and exercise to maintain a healthy weight and to increase the quality of your life. Is it easy? No, but if it was easy everyone would already being doing it instead of sitting on their couches. Now put down that donut and come for a walk with me! YOU CAN DO THIS!

Posted by Karin Richards at 12:01:02 PM

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